San Bernardino National Forest
Managed by United States Forest Service
3,488 acres40 mi of trail
ToptimatorMystic CreekUpper SleepwalkerSmokestack+1
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the trailheadWebsite ↗
Mount San Jacinto State Park Historic District · Photo: Own work · CC BY 3.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Idyllwild-Pine Cove
Idyllwild-Pine Cove has 71 miles of mapped trails, 5.1 for every square mile of land
47% of Idyllwild-Pine Cove’s land is conserved, about 4,092 acres. 638 acres are parks and preserves, 161 per 1,000 residents. The biggest trail networks: San Bernardino National Forest (40 mi), Mount San Jacinto State Park (3.9 mi), San Jacinto Wilderness (2.4 mi).
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #100 of 847 in California. What drives it
Conserved land
47%
4,092 acres · of 13.7 sq mi of land
Trails
71 mi
5.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
638 ac
161 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
57%
of residents within ½ mile
Highest peak
7,520 ft
Suicide Rock
Lakes & rivers
2
What kind of outdoors town is Idyllwild-Pine Cove?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Idyllwild-Pine Cove have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Idyllwild-Pine Cove is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #100 of 847 in California. Trail miles hold the grade up; the share of residents near a park pulls it down.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Idyllwild-Pine Cove’s overall grade.
Conserved land47% of the land · typical CA town 4% · U.S. 4%A+Trails5.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (71 mi) · CA 0.9 · U.S. 0.4A+Park land161 acres of park per 1,000 residents (638 acres) · CA 5 · U.S. 13AParks close to home57% of residents within a half mile of a park · CA 91% · U.S. 72%B−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 96%
LessMore
California towns of 2,500+ (847)Ahead of 88%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is San Bernardino National Forest, with 40 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Mount San Jacinto State Park
Nature preserve
399 acres3.9 mi of trail
Deer Springs Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
San Jacinto Wilderness
Managed by United States Forest Service
566 acres2.4 mi of trail
Ernie Maxwell TrailSuicide Rock TrailClimbers TrailSouth Ridge Trail
Dogs on leash
No trailhead mapped yet
Idyllwild Nature Center
Managed by Riverside County Parks
59 acres1.7 mi of trail
Perimeter TrailYellow Pine Trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the trailhead
All 5 parks & preserves
San Bernardino National Forest3,488 acres · 40 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
DirectionsMount San Jacinto State Park399 acres · 3.9 mi of trail
San Jacinto Wilderness566 acres · 2.4 mi of trail · United States Forest Service
Idyllwild Nature Center59 acres · 1.7 mi of trail · Riverside County Parks
DirectionsHumber Park10 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsWho protects it
4,092 conserved acres
47% of Idyllwild-Pine Cove’s land. Who manages Idyllwild-Pine Cove’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Forest Service3,468 ac
State parks411 ac
County186 ac
Regional agency23 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits5 ac
National Forest · 3,468 acState Park · 411 acLocal Park · 209 acPrivate Conservation · 5 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino National Forest National Forest | U.S. Forest Service | 3,468 | Open |
| Mount San Jacinto State Park State Park | State parks | 411 | Open |
| Idyllwild Park Local Park | County | 186 | Open |
| Pine Cove County Park Local Park | Regional agency | 19 | Open |
| Idyllwild Community Center Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 5 | Open |
| McCall Memorial Park Local Park | Regional agency | 4 | Open |
Things to do
22 places to go in Idyllwild-Pine Cove
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Idyllwild-Pine Cove
Idyllwild Playground
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Idyllwild-Pine Cove
Rick Barker Dog Park
DirectionsScenic views in Idyllwild-Pine Cove
1 scenic view without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Peaks in Idyllwild-Pine Cove
Suicide Rock7,520 ft elevation · In San Jacinto Wilderness
DirectionsInspiration Point5,371 ft elevation
DirectionsPlus 1 peak without a name on the map.
Picnic areas in Idyllwild-Pine Cove
1 picnic area without a name on the map.
Campgrounds in Idyllwild-Pine Cove
Buckhorn Camp
DirectionsCamp Brown
DirectionsCamp EmersonFee · Boy Scouts of America, California Inland Empire Council
DirectionsHike and Bike CampsiteFee · Mount San Jacinto State Park
DirectionsIdyllwild ParkFee · Riverside County Parks
DirectionsIdyllwild Pines Camp
DirectionsMount San Jacinto State Park Idyllwild CampgroundState Dept of Parks and Rec
DirectionsSouth Ridge Yellow PostIn San Bernardino National Forest · San Bernardino National Forest
Directions3 more campgrounds
South Ridge Yellow Post #1In San Bernardino National Forest · San Bernardino National Forest
DirectionsSouth Ridge Yellow Post #2In San Bernardino National Forest · USFS
DirectionsTahquitz PinesFee
DirectionsTrails & water
25 named trails and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 7.3 miUnpaved · 21.5 mi
Toptimator2.9 mi
Ernie Maxwell Trail2.3 mi
Mystic Creek2.0 mi
Silver Crag2.0 mi
Perimeter Trail1.9 mi
Deer Springs Trail1.7 mi
Upper Sleepwalker1.7 mi
Smokestack1.5 mi
Sutton's Run1.3 mi
Bear Trap1.2 mi
15 more trails
Project X
1.1 miBottomator
1.1 miSummit Trail
1.1 miAlternator
1.1 miHillside Trail
1.0 miMystic Dubbing
1.0 miOptimator
1.0 miOnion
0.9 miSouth Ridge Trail
0.8 miRattlesnake
0.8 miSunset Trail
0.7 miRidgeline Trail
0.7 miSuicide Rock Trail
0.6 miLazarus
0.6 miTubs Climb
0.6 miLakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
6Basketball
2Tennis
1Pickleball
1Soccer
1Baseball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →2 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 1 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
When to get out
The best walking months in Idyllwild-Pine Cove: April to August
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 10.1 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 14.4 | 14.2 | 13.4 | 12.3 | 11.3 | 10.4 | 9.9 |
| High (°F) | 53 | 53 | 58 | 63 | 70 | 80 | 85 | 86 | 81 | 70 | 60 | 52 |
| Rain (in) | 3.4 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.4 | 2.6 |
June is the driest month (0.1 in) and August the warmest (highs of 86 °F). 3.9 inches fall in February, the wettest month. The climate in Idyllwild-Pine Cove →
Next door
Idyllwild-Pine Cove and its neighbors
Idyllwild-Pine Cove has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idyllwild-Pine Cove | 47% | 5.1 | 161 | 57% | A+ |
| Mountain Center | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Idyllwild-Pine Cove
Where can I hike in Idyllwild-Pine Cove?
The longest trail networks: San Bernardino National Forest, 40 miles; Mount San Jacinto State Park, 3.9 miles; San Jacinto Wilderness, 2.4 miles; Idyllwild Nature Center, 1.7 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Idyllwild-Pine Cove is conserved land?
47% of its land, against a typical 4% for a California town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Idyllwild-Pine Cove’s trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at San Bernardino National Forest (on leash) and San Jacinto Wilderness (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Idyllwild-Pine Cove?
89,539 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Idyllwild-Pine Cove or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 3,518 of them inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Idyllwild-Pine Cove have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #100 of 847 in California. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Idyllwild-Pine Cove neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →